Women in Science: Forging New Pathways in Green Science

Science and the L’Oréal Foundation have teamed up to produce this booklet focusing on 16 women in five different areas of “green science”: environmental responsibility, biotechnology, biodiversity, sustainability, and medicines and therapies. This booklet, part of a series created by Science in partnership with the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, offers a glimpse into the lives of female scientists through a series of essays. Within these essays, women step forward to show how broad-reaching and encompassing the field of “green science” is. Whether it’s improving agricultural yields in Cameroon, exploring caves in search of bats in Slovenia, or exploring the medicinal uses of a common Nepalese plant, there is something in these essays for nearly every reader. The booklet also is available from the Science Careers site as a pdf.

Using the Resource

While the stories are arranged in a collection designed to encourage more women to explore science as a career, educators should not feel bound to limit their use to that purpose. Teachers will find these essays work to explore the broad category of “green science” and how its various sub-disciplines differ. They also inspire in readers a curiosity about how anyone, regardless of gender, country of origin, or religion, can explore various aspects of environmental sciences, whether professionally or personally. Students who want more information should be sure to explore the websites listed in the Additional Resources section.